Agenda - 08-26-1991 - Laserfiche WebLink

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previously supplied information and provide updated existing land use characteristics that may effect a classification. After the closing date of the public hearings, September 30, 1991, the DEM staff and the hearing officers will formulate a recommendation for the reclassification of the water supplies and final rule adoption. The EMC is expected to act on the rec- ommendation at their December 1991 meeting. • Why are there no detailed requirements to address WS -I water- sheds? WS -I watersheds are defined as undeveloped. These water sup- plies are often owned by a municipality and often under "lock and key" or they are within the National Forest boundaries. It is felt that the undeveloped designation adequately defines the intended use of the watershed and makes specific nonpoint source control criteria unnecessary. 0 How is the normal pool elevation to be determined for a water supply reservoir? The normal pool elevation for impoundments is the water level at which the impoundment is usually maintained. In "backwater" areas, this level can be difficult to determine. Staff has made,its best interpretation -based on existing maps and data. USGS 7.5 minute (1:24,000 scale) topographic maps and Water Resources Data Reports for North Carolina were major sources in determining the normal pool elevations of reservoirs. In many cases the reservoir boundaries and normal pool elevations are printed on the 7.5 minute quad sheets. Where the reservoir boundaries were not shown on these maps, information was obtained on the normal pool elevations and mapping was accom- plished by delineating the reservoir boundaries based on eleva- tions shown on the 7.5 minute quad sheets.' 'In some instances information on the normal pool elevations was obtained from owners /operators. The description of the stream segments in the proposed classification schedules reflect staff's interpre- tation.as described above. Maps should be available at the public hearings to.help interpret these areas. .It should be noted that under 15A NCAC 2B .0104(0) of the adopted water sup- ply protection rules local government is responsible for cor- rectly delineating the approximate normal pool elevation for backwaters of water supply reservoirs for the purposes of determining the critical and protected areas as appropriate. If local governments feel that a different point than that delineated by staff is more representative of the normal pool level of their reservoir, they should present this information to the EMC during the public hearing process. If local govern- ments would like to perform studies /surveys to more accurately define this point, these need to be finalized and submitted no later than October 31, 1991 in order to be considered. 19 651